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A 3-D Day

June 11, 2013 11:33 AM

Following Friday and Friday night’s rainfall of 2.5 to 5″ most areas, another 1-3″ was released over the region last night! Some of the highest totals are found over RI and southeastern MA including Cape Cod. It’s only the 11th day of the month and the June rainfall totals are already in the range of 5-7″+! Some folks are saying that this reminds them of the summer of 2009 when they were complaining about the frequent rain. For Boston, the reality is June 2009 had average precipitation but the mean temperature was a whopping 4.7 degrees below average! July was very wet and very cool with double the average rainfall with the mean temperature at 3.4 degrees below the average. That was the main month that caused all the grumblings because much of August turned out much nicer with slightly below average rainfall and a mean temperature slightly above average. It was June 2006 that was the third wettest June on record at a gargantuan 10.09″! Boston’s June 2013 total is closing in on 6″ already with three rain events in the pipeline over the next 7 days! Could this turn out as the second wettest June? We shall see.

With the departure of the drenching rain during the first part of the morning commute, there is residual mist and spritzes across the region mainly north of a frontal boundary draped from the NYC area to New London, CT to just south of Providence, RI to just north of of Scituate, MA. Much of northern MA northward is likely to be stuck in the muck most of the day with damp, dank and drizmal conditions continuing. Fog may be dense in places and temperatures in that area might not exceed 60 while areas across central and southern CT, southern RI and southeastern MA have shot at warming up to the lower to middle 70s assuming some brightening and breaks of sunshine develop. As an occluded front and upper level impulse approach later this afternoon, another shorter round of showers and scattered thunderstorms will occur. No severe weather is anticipated across most of the region but some of the boomers might be strong over CT. Any showers and boomers will end early this evening with just a few spotty lighter showers or sprinkles possible the rest of the night as temperatures hold or settle into the middle 50s. As the upper level low pressure system and its surface reflections gradually shift eastward tomorrow, drier air will return enabling the clouds to break on the western flank of the departing system. I am predicting that there will be periodic sunshine mixed with the clouds tomorrow afternoon with a gusty northwesterly wind of 12-28 mph and highs near 70.

With a weak ridge of high pressure passing over the region, the sky will become clear Wednesday night with lows of 50-55. Although Thursday will start sunny, the cloudiness will increase quickly and rain will arrive the second half of the afternoon. There will be a developing wave of low pressure along a sharp frontal boundary strung across the Midwest into the Ohio Valley. It separates cool air to the north from the hottest air of the season surging across the southern states. This blossoming storm similar to a winter clipper will create several hours of windswept rain potentially amounting to another 1-2″. It appears that it will be accelerating so the rain may be winding down first thing in the morning on Friday. The heaviest rain should fall before the morning rush. As the storm exits, drier air will flow in to encourage some partial clearing leading to a few spotty afternoon showers. Expect highs in the upper 60s Friday afternoon. Beyond that, a large high zone of high pressure will build in to provide stellar weather on Saturday with a brisk northwesterly wind and highs in the middle to upper 70s. On Father’s Day, some patchy clouds may arrive in the afternoon but, if all goes well, there will only be a threat of a few late afternoon showers across the northern mountains with highs again of 75-80. A few showers may erupt next Monday with the possibility of another rain event a week from today.

Todd Gutner posts his blog early this evening and I shall return early tomorrow morning.